Right now is one of the best times to invest in some of the most hated companies in U.S. history.

And while they may be "hated," they're also some of the most successful.

Their roots trace back to the corporate raiders of the 1980s. Tycoons such as Carl Icahn, Victor Posner and T. Boone Pickens are part of their lore. They've morphed into somewhat tamer asset managers since then, but they still find creative ways to generate high returns on capital.

While private equity shops have drawn the ire of some of Wall Street's hallway monitors -- they've been accused of stripping companies down and costing American jobs -- they're also experts at maximizing profitability.
What's their secret?

They sometimes act as knights in shining armor -- helping troubled businesses turn things around -- while lending money at exorbitant interest rates of around 16%, even in a near-zero interest rate environment.

Other times, these companies may deploy billions of dollars into an unconventional investment -- like single family homes, for example -- as I explained in this article.

Private equity is how the "1%" invests. Only the richest people and businesses in the country -- the Mitt Romneys and Goldman Sachs of the world -- trust these companies with their money.

They are a go-to vehicle for charities, university endowments and pension funds that need at least 8% in annual returns to meet obligations. Yale University, for example, keeps roughly one-third of its endowment funds with them.

The good news is you don't have to be a part of the wealthy elite to participate in private equity's outsized returns. That's because about a dozen of them now trade on stock exchanges... They've become an oxymoron -- publicly listed private equity firms.